What was the outcome of UK MPs final vote on the welfare bill?
It’s been a turbulent few weeks in Parliament, as the UK Government has brought forward its welfare bill, now re-named the Universal Credit Bill. The bill sought to significantly cut health and disability benefits but, thanks to disabled people’s relentless campaigning, we are in a much better place now than when the bill was first introduced.
Last night (9 July), MPs had their final vote on the bill in the House of Commons, which saw 336 MPs vote in favour and 242 vote against. It will now pass to the House of Lords and is expected to become law at speed.
We would have far preferred for the bill to have been dropped, as future cuts to the health element of Universal Credit (UC) remain.
But we are relieved that, thanks to your campaigning, the UK Government’s planned tightened Personal Independence Payment (PIP) criteria have been dropped. In a further sign of our impact, the Government yesterday gave new and stronger commitments that disabled people will play a central role in the upcoming PIP review.
We pay particular tribute to Dr Marie Tidball MP, who worked tirelessly to set out what the co-production process should look like, and won specific commitments from the Minister for Disabled People, Sir Stephen Timms, about the status of the review. Her advocacy for disabled people has resulted in measures to ensure that the review’s outputs must be taken seriously by government, and that any resulting proposals are debated by MPs before any future legislation is proposed.
Reacting to the passage of the bill, Vivienne Francis, RNIB’s Chief Strategy and Public Affairs Officer, commented:
“The UK Government gave fresh commitments for disabled people to play a robust role in the upcoming PIP review. The process to date has shown just how far Government proposals have diverged from the disabled people they will affect - remedying this during the review is critical. RNIB will do all we can to ensure blind and partially sighted people can meaningfully shape the PIP review, so we finally get a system which respects and works for people with sight loss.
"The fact we’ve still been left with a damaging two-tier benefit system in Universal Credit remains a concern. Halving and then freezing the Universal Credit health element for future claimants will make it even harder for many blind and partially sighted people in the years ahead to meet essential bills. Many people with sight loss of working age want to work, but making claimants £3,000 a year worse off will only move people further from, not into, work.”
Your campaigning
2837 of you used our template letter to write to your MP, sharing concerns about the impact cuts could have on people with sight loss. Together we reached a fantastic 638 MPs, which is 98 per cent of Parliament. A huge thank you to everyone who took action.
Thanking campaigners, Sophie Dodgeon, RNIB’s Head of Campaigns and Public Affairs, said:
“The commitments from the Minister on how he will co-produce the review of PIP with disabled people and disability groups, and the status of the outcome of that review, is testament to the immense pressure that campaigners have brought to bear in recent weeks and months.
“Blind and partially sighted people have told us of the huge anxiety and stress which the proposals have caused. We would have far preferred this bill to be dropped, and we protest strongly at the cut to the health element of Universal Credit for future claimants.
“But what we have seen over the last eight days is a government that has finally grasped that there must be a genuine sea-change in how it engages and consults with disabled people. We hope that no time will be wasted in rebuilding the trust of the disabled community and that policy will now start to be informed by people's every day, lived reality - a reality in which the additional costs of living with sight loss and the countless barriers to employment are fully understood and addressed.”
Recap of yesterday’s vote
Universal Credit (UC) health element to be cut and frozen for new claimants from 2026
The bill legislates for the health element of Universal Credit (UC), a top up for people who are assessed as not being able to work, to be halved and then frozen for new claimants from April 2026.
All existing recipients of the UC health element and new claimants with 12 months or less to live or who meet the Severe Conditions Criteria will continue to receive the higher rate of the UC health top up.
This change will leave many new claimants £3,000 a year worse off compared to existing claimants. We are concerned this will make it even harder for many blind and partially sighted people in the future to meet essential bills.
Many blind and partially sighted people want to work, but face barriers from inaccessible recruitment processes, ill-informed employers, and poor access to assistive technology. It will take a long time for these barriers to be removed. The UK Government’s ambition to support more disabled people into work is welcome but should not come at the expense of access to essential financial support.
Standard rate of Universal Credit to be uplifted
The Universal Credit standard rate will increase above inflation for the next four years - worth an estimated £725 by 2029/30 for a single adult aged 25 or over.
While we welcome a boost to the standard allowance, this will not be felt by new claimants receiving the UC health element which is being significantly cut.
Get in touch
It’s vital that we keep talking about the impact of these cuts to the media to help build pressure on MPs and government. If you want to share your story, you can get in touch with us at [email protected] or by calling the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999.
